How I Look to a Seven-Year Old...

Hey y'all!  

So, Kid B came home the other day, proudly displaying this family portrait he'd drawn. 

"Me, Carter, Dad, Mom"

Let's skip asking why Kid B has given himself two faces (is this some deep psychological self-awareness? Is it his inner muse? Or is the second face a pig face from Angry Birds? My money's on the Angry Birds theory) and take a closer look at me. 

I agree he got the arms (flippers?) dead right. And my legs really are flatter on the inside. My bigger questions are... why am I number 4? Why is my torso divided in half? Okay, maybe that second question makes sense. Where did my fingers go? Did I lose them in a freak lawn mower accident?

My favorite part -- besides the accurate portrayal of the fact that my hair is falling out due to faulty flat irons -- is the lip-to-face ratio. 

Apparently, I arrive at all destinations lips first.

Have you ever had one of those days where...

Hey y'all...

Sorry for the blog silence! I have been madly revising EVERNEATH 3: It's Everneath-iest, and touring with EVERBOUND. 

I'll blog about the tour later, but for now, I was thinking of starting a new blog series called "Have you ever had one of those days where..." and then fill in the blank. 

Today, I have two entries. 

1. Have you ever had one of those days where... you adopt a hairless dog?

Let me preface this by saying, I have wanted a dog for my entire life. But someone else in my life has been having a crazy love affair with our lawn, and was hesitant to see any sort of yellow patches. 

But for some reason, this week provided an opening in his cold cold black heart. Especially when we discovered that this little guy needed a home. 

I know what you're thinking: Is that a rat? 

No. He is a dog. A hairless terrier. Isn't he sweet?

I know what else you're thinking: Is he dressed like a clown?

Yes. He gets cold. What with no hair and all. 

Might I interrupt this blog post to say that y'all ask excellent questions?

So yes, we are now the proud owners of CHEWBACCA. Yes, we named him. Yes, the name is ironic. But I think it gives him something to aspire to. Plus, when Kid B was clearly pulling ahead of Chewy in a raucous game of Space Chess, the wookie threatened to tear Kid B's arms off. 

never make a wookie angry

Seriously, do not mess with this guy:

Even in his sleep, he is diabolical. And he sleeps A LOT

Last night I gave Chewy a bath, and then lathered him up with baby lotion, dressed him in new clean pajamas and rocked him to sleep. 

Yes, I finally have a newborn. 

2. Have you ever had one of those days where... you discover that you've been wearing keyboard instructions on your belly all day?

The other day, I came home and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Check it out:

Notice anything unusual?

Yep. That is the instruction sheet for how to set up the keyboard to my IPad. 

Why couldn't it have been something cool like a map to atlantis?: 

Don't zoom in too close. Not because I'm uncomfortable with having an extreme close-up of mah belly, but because that is the actual map to Atlantis, and I don't want it to get out there. 

So... What's your day been like? Fill in the blank: Have you ever had one of those days where...

Or, you can just tell me if you think Chewy is the cutest rat you've ever seen...

Tour and Books

Hi Everyone,

This is Sam, Brodi's lovely husband.  Brodi is currently on tour right now.  If you live in the Atlanta area, Raleigh area and in Boston...she will be visiting you this week.  Click HERE and you can see the times and locations of her visit.  She is touring with some fabulous authors (Veronica Rossi, Cynthia Hand and Tahereh Mafi) and it should be a good time.  When she gets back from this trip, she will give recaps of the book launch as well as the tour.

Also, Barnes and Noble and Amazon are offering a special $2.99 deal for EVERNEATH on the Nook or Kindle.  Not sure how long this sale will last, but it is a great time to pick it up if want it as an ebook.

If you have any questions, let me know.  If anyone wants to talk about the Super Bowl, I am also available for that as well.

All the things I've been doing before the Launch of EVERBOUND...

Hey y'all. 

Sorry my blogging has been so sporadic. All I can say is... 

And then every time I sat down to blog, I'd look at my interview pile, and my to-do list for the launch, and then I would sit there paralyzed, and I would do nothing. 

But... tomorrow is the day. EVERBOUND hits shelves. 

Here is what I've been doing instead of blogging:

I've been juggling all my balls...

Digging out of the snow...

Finally getting the courage up to play poker in Vegas... (you can see my name on the waiting list)

Selling tickets to this show...

Laughing at the pajamas my mom bought for my hubs and my brother-in-law...

Sitting in a bird... (trying to hide the fact that I'm wearing white socks)

Wearing a TAB hat...

Making a pilgrimage to the Mother Land...

Escaping the inversion with my sis...

And finally, the activity that took the longest time, straightening Kid C's hair. 

I'm glad I got all this stuff taken care of before my book comes out tomorrow. 

Speaking of launch parties, don't forget the launch for EVERBOUND (and Cynthia Hand's BOUNDLESS) is tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at The King's English. Come and party! 

bonus: If you get your book signed, you'll get a guitar pick necklace. 

double bonus: there will be food!

So... who's going to party with me tomorrow night???

Two Weeks to EVERBOUND Launch. It's Cool. I'm not Freaking out.

Happy 2013 y'all! 

Wanna hear something crazy?

EVERBOUND comes out two weeks from tomorrow. 

EVERBOUNDcomesouttwoweeksfromtomorrowEVERBOUNDcomesouttwoweeksfromtomorrowEVERBOUNDcomesouttwoweeksfromtomorrowEVERBOUNDcomesouttwoweeksfromtomorrow.

I don't know how it happened. It was always "Oh, sometime next year" and now it's suddenly NEXT YEAR. 

Of course we're going to have a party. And you're invited. Yes, YOU! 

EVERBOUND Launch Party
The King's English Bookshop
January 22nd, 2013
7:00 p.m.

My in-laws will be providing the food again, which means it will be epic. Also, I will be giving away guitar pick necklaces. So, come to the partay!

If you're not near Salt Lake City, I'm touring around the country. Check my appearances page to see if I'll be in a city near you. 

I also have a deadline a week from today. So if you need me, um, be patient. 

How was everyone's New Year? Which books are on your reading list? You don't have to say EVERBOUND... not at all. 

Three Winners of EVERBOUND ARCs, and Santa-Dragon

Hey Y'all!

Thanks for entering last week's contest.

The winners are:

Vi Nguyen

Jana

Kristina Snyder

Email me your mailing addresses at brodiashton at gmail dot com. Congratulations!

And now, as a Christmas present to you all, enjoy my nieces' adventure through downtown Salt Lake City, and marvel at the fact that they weren't arrested.

Pre-Order NEVERFALL, and be entered to win one of several ARCs of EVERBOUND

Okay, folks. We are just over a week away from two exciting things. 

One is Christmas. 

But on the day after Christmas, December 26th (just in time for Christmas) (Kidding) the paperback edition of EVERNEATH releases, and the ebook novella NEVERFALL will be available! 

For those of you who don't know, NEVERFALL is a novella (100 pages) told from Cole's Point of View. It takes place between the end of book one (EVERNEATH) and the beginning of book 2 (EVERBOUND). 

Here's the blurb:

A thrilling new novella from the author of the Everneath series!

Jack is trapped for eternity in the Tunnels while Nikki has managed to evade Cole's grasp . . . for now. But Cole is more desperate than ever to find answers about Nikki, his best chance for taking over the throne of the underworld. How did she survive the Feed? Can Cole find another Forfeit like her who can survive it too?

Cole's quest leads him to the other side of the world, to a mysterious, dangerous society known as the Delphinians, whose price for information might be higher than Cole can pay—a price that could destroy Nikki. But when Cole attempts to steal the answers instead, his mission ends in disaster. Faced with centuries in a Delphinian dungeon, Cole is confronted with questions he's been too scared to ask himself: Is he really obsessed with the throne—or is he obsessed with Nikki? And can she really give him a new beginning as the Everneath's king . . . or will she instead bring about his tragic end?

To celebrate these events, I have a bunch of EVERBOUND ARCs to give away. So here's the deal. If you pre-order NEVERFALL ($2.99, available at Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and many other ebook places), you will be entered to win one of several copies of the EVERBOUND ARC! 

All you have to do is pre-order it, leave me a comment telling me you pre-ordered it, and you're entered! Easy peezy. 

Also, there is no way for me to check the validity of your pre-order, so I am counting on the honor system, and the fact that it would be silly to lie about two dollars and ninety-nine cents. If you're going to lie, lie about like a million dollars. In fact, have your hips leave the comment. (Because as we all know, hips don't lie).*

"Hips don't lie," quoth Shakira. 

So, click here to order NEVERFALL, and then comment away! The more people entered, the more copies I'll give away.  

Contest ends this Sunday. Winners announced on Monday. Just in time for Christmas. 

*Kid B's hips totally lie. His pants are always falling down.